Cost Of HDTV Services Impacting Take-Up

New research from Ipsos-Mori has found that the cost of subscribing to HD services is stalling take-up, with only 16% of HDTV owners subscribing to a service.

Of those who took part in the study, 55% said that cost was a major factor, whilst 29% blamed the lack of take-up on the paucity of HD channels.

Sarah Gale, head of Ipsos-Mori’s Media Minds division, said: “With no channels broadcasting in parallel to non-HD stations, it’s very hard to plan your viewing. As a result, people don’t perceive the content to be available, so for now people aren’t willing to pay the subscription rates just to get better quality pictures.”

“People are primarily buying HD sets to future-proof their TV. They’re wary of buying a TV that they’ll have to replace.”

The findings are from Ipsos-Mori’s broadcasting tracking survey of 2,000 people, 10% of whom own HD-ready sets.

Last week, the BBC Trust provisionally approved proposals for a BBC HD channel but delayed making a decision on launching the service on the Freeview platform (see BBC Trust Provisionally Approves Plans For HD Channel).

The proposed BBC HD channel, costing £21.5 million a year, would broadcast for a nine-hour period from 3pm to midnight.

Channel 4 recently announced that it would be offering a high definition simulcast of its main channel on the Sky platform (see Channel 4 To Launch HD Channel On Sky).

The channel, which should be available from December 2007, will allow Sky HD customers to watch HD versions of popular Channel 4 shows.

Ipsos-Mori: www.ipsos-mori.com